Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Englishman stuns on debut

Once in a while, a two-year-old Thoroughbred debuts with a performance so impressive that talk immediately turns to their Kentucky Derby (G1) potential.

Such was the case with Englishman, whose stunning debut victory on Friday at Churchill Downs ranks among the best performances posted by a juvenile so far this year.

Englishman

Sold for $400,000 as a yearling, Englishman entered Friday’s seven-furlong maiden special weight off a sharp series of workouts, including a bullet five furlongs in :59 1/5. The Cherie DeVaux trainee was popular in the betting, starting as the 2-1 second choice in a 10-horse field.

As it turns out, 2-1 was value. Englishman ran more like a 1-5 shot. The bay colt dashed to the lead while pressed by favored Tagermeen, setting splits of :22.27 and :44.74. As the pace intensified, the two leaders pulled 4 1/2 lengths clear of their closest pursuers.

Soon, however, Tagermeen couldn’t keep up. Without much urging from jockey Jose Ortiz, Englishman put away his pace rival, opening up a three-length lead through six furlongs in 1:08.70. From there, the race was over, as Englishman cruised through a solid final furlong in :12.65 to dominate by 7 1/4 lengths in the fast time of 1:21.35.

Englishman hails from the first crop of foals sired by Maxfield, whose 5-for-5 record at Churchill Downs culminated with a triumph in the Clark (G1). Given Maxfield’s affinity for the Kentucky Derby’s host track, it would be fitting to see Englishman compete under the Twin Spires in the 2026 Run for the Roses.

Super Kick

Two other maiden winners at Churchill last week could potentially have Kentucky Derby aspirations.

One is Super Kick, from the barn of Eoin Harty. On Thursday, he trounced a six-furlong maiden special weight for horses that brought a final bid of $65,000 or less at their most recent auction. Calumet Farm purchased Super Kick for $40,000 as a yearling, and he’s already earned back his sale price.

As is appropriate for a son of champion sprinter Mitole, Super Kick showed plenty of speed. He made the lead through splits of :22.24 and :45.23, opening up a 3 1/2-length lead with a quarter-mile remaining. He widened his advantage from there, drawing off to win eased up by 5 3/4 lengths in 1:10.39.

Super Kick’s victory marked a major step forward from his first start in a $50,000 maiden claimer at Ellis Park, in which he tired after dueling for the lead to finish seventh.

Only time will tell how far Super Kick wants to run, but since his dam sire is 1 1/4-mile Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winner Awesome Again, there’s a chance he’ll handle stretching out around two turns. Remember, Mitole is a half-brother to Hot Rod Charlie, who recorded runner-up finishes in the Kentucky Derby and 1 1/2-mile Belmont (G1).

Very Connected

The final Churchill maiden winner we’ll highlight is Very Connected, who graduated third-time out in an off-the-turf 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight on Sunday.

Very Connected finished fifth in his debut sprinting on dirt before improving to third place in his second start running long on turf. It turns out running long on dirt was the winning combination for the son of Cigar Mile H. (G1) winner Connect.

Racing over a sloppy track, Very Connected was content to settle in seventh place early on, as many as five lengths behind fractions of :23.41, :48.26, and 1:13.41. He was still three lengths behind with only a furlong remaining, but a determined late charge allowed the Kenny McPeek trainee to get up and win by a neck in 1:46.09.

Acquired for $180,000 as a yearling, Very Connected was produced by the Awesome Again mare C J’s Gal, which makes Very Connected a full brother to 2021 Pocahontas (G3) winner and 2022 Kentucky Oaks (G1) participant Hidden Connection.

Bust Out

Turning our attention to Los Alamitos in California, we’ll wrap with a mention of Bust Out, a $115,000 auction acquisition who won his Saturday debut in a maiden special weight.

Favored at 4-5 off an impressive series of fast workouts for trainer Michael McCarthy, Bust Out was unhurried during the early stages of the 6 1/2-furlong sprint, settling four lengths behind an opening quarter in :21.93. However, he closed the deficit to two lengths through half a mile in :44.79, and in the final furlong he forged clear to prevail by three lengths in 1:16.14.

It isn’t surprising to see Bust Out win as a juvenile since his sire (Complexity) and dam sire (Creative Cause) both won Grade 1 races at age two. And since McCarthy trainees often improve with experience, Bust Out appears to have a bright future.

Top maiden winner of the week: Englishman

Honorable mention: Bust Out